Chris Smalling can still be accident prone and the fact that he is now an automatic starter for England says a lot about the alternatives.
Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters

Goalkeepers

The only real issue here is whether Tom Heaton or Ben Foster takes the role of third-choice goalkeeper now Jack Butland’s fractured ankle has moved Fraser Forster up a place in the pecking order to become Joe Hart’s first deputy. Heaton was in the last squad because of Hart’s absence but it was revealing that Roy Hodgson called Ben Foster to talk it through with the goalkeeper he previously managed at West Bromwich Albion. Foster has one international retirement behind him and it is not absolutely clear whether he would want to take a role that would almost certainly mean no match-time.

In Joe Hart, Fraser Forster

Hopeful Tom Heaton, Ben Foster

Defenders

Roy Hodgson did not take kindly to the suggestion that the one obvious deficiency in the England team was their defensive structure. “Before these two games we had played 10 qualifying matches and let in three goals,” he said after the double-header against Germany and Holland. “We haven’t let in an awful lot of goals. I’m not certain that line is 100% fair and valid criticism.”

Except Hodgson overlooked the 2-0 defeat in Spain last November and his point about the qualifying programme neglected to mention the moderate state of opposition. Chris Smalling’s improved form for Manchester United makes him an automatic starter in France but he can still be accident-prone; if he is regarded as the best of the lot, that shows this is not a golden era for English central defenders.

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Unfortunately for Hodgson there is not a great deal of choice elsewhere and all four of his favoured centre-backs are right-sided players without anyone who prefers the left-sided role. John Terry? “Yes, who knows?” Hodgson said, smiling, but one slightly strange comment does not mean anyone should expect Chelsea’s captain to be ushered out of international retirement.

Instead Hodgson will almost certainly go for Gary Cahill, Terry’s understudy at Chelsea. Phil Jagielka will go in reserve, whereas John Stones should still be guaranteed a place in the squad despite his latest mistake.

At the same time their Everton team-mate Leighton Baines must be fretting about the left-back role. Danny Rose now appears to be in pole position for that place ahead of Ryan Bertrand while it is difficult to look beyond Nathaniel Clyne and Kyle Walker on the other side. Hodgson is, however, an admirer of Phil Jones’s versatility and there is still a small chance of a late twist if the player returns from injury.

Midfielders

When Roy Hodgson talked before the Germany game about Eric Dier, Danny Drinkwater and Jack Wilshere effectively being in a three-way battle for two holding-midfield positions it was largely overlooked that Michael Carrick did not even figure in the conversation. Carrick was left out of the squad and a long yet strangely unsatisfactory international career, featuring 22 starts in 14 years, might be winding to a close.

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Hodgson also mentioned that Dier and Drinkwater were “in the shadow” of Wilshere, which is a measure of how devoted he is to the idea of taking the Arsenal player. In that case Dier appears to have the edge over Drinkwater in the manager’s thinking. Dele Alli has made himself a mandatory pick and Hodgson will presumably experiment in England’s remaining three warm-up matches to see whether he can fit the Spurs player into a midfield also featuring Ross Barkley. Raheem Sterling’s groin injury is a concern but he is expected back around the time Hodgson names his provisional squad in mid-May and will be another certainty provided the manager is convinced of the Manchester City player’s fitness.

Forwards

Striker

Wayne Rooney

Appearances

22

Goals

7

Shots

57

Shots on target

33%

Offsides

15

There was a slightly awkward moment when Roy Hodgson was eulogising about Jamie Vardy’s form and drew a parallel between the trajectory of the Leicester City player’s career and another striker who had been on the scene for much longer. “He’s 28, so he’s not a youngster compared to the others,” Hodgson said of Vardy, “but he’s very young in terms of his top-class playing career and he’s a very fit guy, so he’s not going to be burnt out at the age of 31 or 32 like some fellas who, to be fair, get in the first-team at 16 and have had 14 years of it.”

Sound like anyone you know? That was the point at which one of the Football Association’s press officers interrupted to say this was not intended as a reference to Wayne Rooney. Hodgson had described everything that Rooney’s critics can see but the bottom line in the ongoing debate about England’s current captain is that there is no way he will not be involved in France given his experience and goalscoring record.

Striker

Jamie Vardy

Appearances

31

Goals

19

Shots

93

Shots on target

43%

Offsides

21

The greater issue for Hodgson is whether Rooney should start in the team when Vardy and Harry Kane have made compelling cases for their own inclusions, at a time when Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck appear to have overcome injury issues. On that basis the most likely player to miss out, with five places up for grabs, is Theo Walcott, whose spell out of the team at Arsenal clearly counts against him.

“A lot of players have work to do but it is going to be harder for the players who are not in their team and don’t get a chance to show what they can do,” Hodgson said when he was asked about Walcott’s removal from Arsène Wenger’s side. “One can’t deny that it will be even harder for them.”